Skip to main content

Pakistan signs up for safer ship recycling

Pakistan has become the latest country to sign up to the Hong Kong International Convention for the Safe and Environmentally Sound Recycling of Ships.

The International Maritime Organization reports that the instrument of accession was deposited at the IMO HQ in London by Iftikhar Ahmad Rao, maritime minister and special assistant to the Prime Minister. The move follows an IMO-run seminar in Karachi, Pakistan in November to support the country’s implementation of the convention and related guidelines.

The Hong Kong Convention, which will enter into force on 26 June 2025, was adopted at a conference in 2009. It is aimed at ensuring that ships, when being recycled after reaching the end of their operational lives, do not pose any unnecessary risks to human health, safety or the environment.

It embraces the ‘cradle-to-grave’ concept, addressing the responsible management and disposal of associated waste streams in a safe and environmentally sound manner. The convention places responsibilities and obligations on all stakeholders: ship owners, yards, recycling facilities and states in which ships are recycled or flagged.

Under the convention, ships sent for recycling will be required to carry on board an inventory of hazardous materials. Approved facilities will be required to provide a recycling plan specific to each individual vessel. Governments will be required to ensure that recycling facilities under their jurisdiction comply with the convention.

The Hong Kong Convention now has the following contracting parties: Bangladesh, Belgium, Republic of the Congo, Croatia, Denmark, Estonia, France, Germany, Ghana, India, Japan, Liberia, Luxembourg, Malta, Kingdom of the Netherlands, Norway, Pakistan, Panama, Portugal, São Tomé and Príncipe, Serbia, Spain and Turkey. 

Don't hesitate to contact us to share your input and ideas. Subscribe to the magazine or (free) newsletter.

You might find this interesting too

Outokumpu reins back US expansion
Tomra sorter drives smarter aluminium scrap recycling

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

This site uses Akismet to reduce spam. Learn how your comment data is processed.

Subscribe now and get a full year for just €169 (normal rate is €225) Subscribe